Limiting diet duration to 3 months could potentially support long-term weight management.
In recent years, the dietary approach of intermittent fasting, or time-restricted eating, has gained popularity. This eating pattern involves consuming only certain meals during a specific time frame each day.
Some argue over the ideal time of day to partake in your eating window while feasting, but a new study presented at the European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in 2025 challenges the notion that the optimal timing for successful long-term weight loss is rigidly tied to specific hours.
The research shows that limiting your eating window to eight hours, regardless of the time of day, can lead to substantial and sustained weight loss for up to a year[1][2][3]. Dubbed time-restricted eating (TRE), this dietary strategy focuses less on what you eat and more on when you eat. This strategy may offer a more sustainable approach to long-term weight management compared to traditional calorie-restricted diets[2][3].
In the study, researchers recruited 99 overweight and obese participants from Spain, age 49 on average, and assigned them to one of four groups for a 12-week period[1]. Participants either continued with their usual eating habits or followed early, late, or self-selected TRE, restricting their eating windows to an 8-hour period. The researchers recorded body weight, waist, and hip circumference at the study's start, after 12 weeks, and 12 months later.
The TRE groups experienced greater weight loss compared to those who maintained their usual eating habits after 12 weeks[1]. Despite starting later or earlier in the day, the timing of the eating window did not affect weight loss[3].
By the 12-month mark, participants who had continued their usual eating habits gained weight, while those who followed TRE maintained their weight loss[1]. Their waistlines also showed a marked improvement, whereas participants in the usual eating group experienced an increase in waist circumference[3].
"Though further research is necessary, our findings suggest that time-restricted eating can be a sustainable long-term approach to weight loss, helping maintain weight loss over time," lead researcher Alba Camacho-Cardenosa, a post-doctoral researcher at the Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria de Granada (ibs.GRANADA) and the Sport and Health University Research Institute (iMUDS) at the University of Granada in Spain, told Medical News Today[1]. "This strategy not only helps people lose weight but also maintains it, which is a significant challenge in most weight loss programs."
In the future, researchers plan to explore TRE's impact on cardiometabolic health and ectopic fat depots as well as determining which types of individuals might benefit most from specific eating windows[1].
For those considering adopting TRE as a weight loss strategy, dietitian nutritionist Monique Richard offers the following tips: examine your current eating habits, consider your Migrating Motor Complex (MMC), and take note of the why, how, what, and when of your eating habits[5].
"When we are intentional with the why, how, what, and when related to our food, aka fuel, we can reap the rewards of our body literally humming along - if you listen closely, you'll hear it!" Richard said[5].
- The dietary strategy of time-restricted eating (TRE), which involves limiting one's eating window to eight hours a day, has been shown to lead to substantial and sustained weight loss for up to a year as presented at the European Congress on Obesity.
- Different times of day for the eating window do not affect weight loss success when following TRE, as demonstrated in a study where researchers assigned participants to early, late, or self-selected TRE groups and monitored their weight loss.
- The study found that TRE participants experienced greater weight loss compared to those who maintained their usual eating habits, with the weight loss maintained over a 12-month period.
- TRE may offer a more sustainable approach to long-term weight management compared to traditional calorie-restricted diets, as it focuses less on specific foods and more on meal timing.
- As researchers plan to explore TRE's impact on cardiometabolic health, ectopic fat depots, and potential benefits for specific individuals, dietitian nutritionist Monique Richard suggests examining current eating habits, considering the Migrating Motor Complex, and being intentional with the "why, how, what, and when" of one's eating habits for effective TRE implementation.
